Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Dylan Demelo played 74 games for the London Junior Knights midget minor team in Ontario. He scored 11 goals with 34 assists and had 46 PMs. He was selected by Mississauga St. Michael’s in the 2nd round (34th overall) of the 2009 OHL Priority Draft.

2009-10: Demelo skated in 20 games for Mississauga St. Michael’s in the OHL – spending most of the season with the Junior A Mississauga Chargers. He had 1 assist and was +3 with 12 PMs in limited ice time with the Majors. In 36 games for the Chargers he scored 9 goals with 20 assists and had 24 PMs.

2010-11: Demelo played in 67 of 68 games as Mississauga St. Michael’s dominated the regular season in the OHL – winning 53 games. Demelo was +31 and scored 3 goals with 24 assists and 70 PMs. The Majors faced Owen Sound in an epic OHL final series, won by Owen Sound in overtime of the seventh game. Demelo was +10 in the playoffs with 1 goal, 4 assists and 15 PMs in 20 games. The Majors hosted the Memorial Cup and in five games during the tournament Demelo was scoreless with 4 PMs. Ranked 121st amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, he was selected by San Jose in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: DeMelo made his pro hockey debut — play four games for the AHL’s Worcester Sharks to end his year following his second OHL season. He was a solid +3 with 1 assist in four AHL games. DeMelo improved on his offensive numbers during his junior season on a much weaker Mississauga team while playing on both specialty units and big shutdown minutes. The defender scored 7 goals (four on the power play and one shorthanded) along with 40 assists and was +9 with 70 penalty minutes in 67 games. DeMelo and the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors lost a very tight, physical first-round OHL Playoff series 4-2 against the Barrie Colts. He scored 1 power play goal with 1 assist and a was -3 with 13 penalty minutes (one fighting major) in the series. The Sharks signed DeMelo to a three-year entry-level contract in April 2012.

2012-13: DeMelo skated in 10 AHL games; joining the Worcester Sharks in April for the second straight season after playing in the OHL. He had 4 assists and was -1 with 6 penalty minutes. Worcester missed the AHL playoffs after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division. DeMelo was the third-leading scorer for the re-christened Missisauga Steelheads, scoring 15 goals with 35 assists in 64 games while finishing -9 with 68 penalty minutes. The Steelheads reached the playoffs despite finishing under .500 and last in the Central Division. DeMelo scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was -5 with 6 penalty minutes in the six-game series with Belleville.

2013-14: DeMelo played for San Jose AHL affiliate Worcester in his first pro season, leading all Sharks skaters with 22 assists. He scored 2 goals and was -17 with 51 penalty minutes in 68 games. Worcester missed the AHL playoffs after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division.

2014-15: DeMelo returned to the AHL’s Worcester Sharks for his second pro season. In 65 regular season games he scored 5 goals with 17 assists and was -7 with 32 penalty minutes. The Sharks finished third in the Atlantic Division, falling to Hershey in a first-round playoff series. DeMelo scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -3 with 6 penalty minutes in four playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Demelo is a big strong puck-moving defenseman who likes to jump into the play and shoot his big booming shot on the fly. He can play in all situations and thrives in offensive situations because of his shot and hockey sense. He is not afraid of playing a simple unmemorable game if that is what it takes to win. DeMelo has shown steady improvement as he has added strength and refined his technical skills in his first two pro seasons.

Future

DeMelo heads into training camp looking to crack the Sharks' defense corps after spending two full seasons with AHL affiliate Worcester. While his game is not as attention-grabbing as some of the other prospects vying for the lower pairing spots in San Jose, he is a quintessential defenseman who will rarely do anything that really hurts the team. He could start the 2015-16 season with San Jose's new affiliate (the Barracuda will play their games in the same arena as the Sharks), but could be one of the first players recalled if the situation warrants.

Photo: San Jose Sharks prospect Alex Schoenborn finished second on the Winterhawks in scoring and earned an entry-level contract (courtesy of Marissa Baecker/Getty Images)

2015-16 was a strong development season for many of the San Jose Sharks’ best prospects. Up front the Sharks look to have a few more top-six potential players in their midst than previously thought, and on the back end the team looks poised to continue its steady stream of mobile, puck-moving, bottom-pairing defenders. In net there are still major questions, but with the confident play of Martin Jones up in San Jose, the organization can manage to take its time. Collectively it was a great season for the Sharks prospects.

Photo: The top San Jose Sharks prospect is still Timo Meier, but finding the right linemates for the Swiss dynamo will be crucial to getting the best out of him (courtesy of Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images)

The San Jose Sharks prospect pool is quite possibly the deepest it has ever been. With a lack of high picks on the horizon, it might just be the deepest it will be for a while. Then again, the Sharks organization has a propensity to find hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft, especially considering ten of the players listed on this top 20 list were drafted in the 4th round or later (and that’s not even including the three free agent signings).

Photo: Although the 18th overall pick of the 2013 NHL draft, San Jose Sharks prospect Mirco Mueller, does not project as a top-pairing defenseman, he plays a calm and skillful game that is still improving (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire)

After a rocky start to the season, the San Jose Sharks have drastically improved their transition play, and now sit a comfortable seven points up on the Arizona Coyotes for the final divisional playoff spot in the Pacific. While the team predominately leans on its veterans, a handful of young prospects have impacted the team this season.

Photo: San Jose Sharks prospect Timo Meier, the team’s first top ten draft pick since 2007, is part of a European talent influx into the organization (courtesy of Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

Over the course of two off-seasons, the San Jose Sharks have vastly improved their prospect ranks. The once small and meager prospect pool has quietly evolved into a massive, shark-infested ocean.

While still lacking in true blue chip talent, this is without a doubt the strongest crop of players the Sharks have had in their system in the last ten seasons. But that comes as no surprise with the decline of the NHL roster and its recent playoff failings. After all, prospect pools and winning are typically inversely proportional.

Photo: San Jose second-round pick Noah Rod had nearly as many points in the playoffs as he did all season for his club, suggesting he may enjoy a breakout campaign in 2015-16 (courtesy of Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)

As the 2014-15 hockey season comes to a close, the San Jose Sharks are heading into uncharted waters. Their ten year consecutive playoff streak came to an end this season on the heels of what can best be described as a hopeful youth movement. With few monumental changes to the guard, the Sharks’ focus shifts heavily towards change from within. The Sharks have always had an ability to churn out prospects to fill organizational needs, and with an emerging crop of talented and underrated prospects on the horizon, they look poised to quickly get back to the high seas of success.